From Hate to Love
by AverageApple
Summary: To Sasuke, Sakura is nothing more than a vessel for Uchiha babies. To Sakura, Sasuke is nothing more than a monster that cannot be controlled. [Sasuke/Sakura]
1. Prologue

A/N: Hey there! It's AverageApple with my first multi-chapter fic!

I've had this idea in my head for a little while now, but have finally managed to upload it.

This story goes up to chapter 393 in the manga. After that point in the story-line, I took complete liberty with the facts and changed a lot of things. So if something seems dreadfully wrong, that's how I wanted it to be.

It's a SasuSaku fic, but that's not all this story is going to be about. That is all I'm going to say for now.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto/Naruto Shippuden or the characters in it. However, the plot I have come up with is original, and is meant for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

**Chapter 1: ****Prologue**

* * *

It was a beautiful day in the village of Konohagakure. The sky was a brilliant blue and there wasn't a cloud in sight. Everyone seemed happy and content. Well, everyone but a certain pink haired kunoichi.

This kunoichi was on her way to the hospital, ready to begin another long day of work. Usually, she was very sprightly in the morning. However, she had not had a very good morning thus far, and the annoyance that she was feeling showed quite clearly on her face.

As she was walking towards her destination, she heard her name being called. The voice was extremely recognizable and she knew who it was before she even turned around to look.

"Sakura-chan! Hey, Sakura-chan, turn around!" The voice called, causing several civilians to turn around and stare.

Sighing inwardly, the woman known as Sakura turned around, masking her displeasure with a smile. She watched as he ran up to her, a goofy grin plastered on his face. Finally, he was standing right in front of her.

"Good morning, Naruto."

"Morning, Sakura-chan! How're you doing?"

The question he asked caused several profane words to pop up in Sakura's mind. She wanted to answer honestly, but doing so might reveal the secret that she had been trying to keep from Naruto for two years now. So she opted to answer with a lie.

"Wonderful, thanks for asking. How are you?"

"Great!" The fox-faced man answered, his eyes shining.

There was a minute of silence, and Sakura was beginning to feel awkward. Just as she was about to break the silence, Naruto decided to instead.

"Aren't you going to ask me why it's great?" He asked.

A small flash of irritation flickered across Sakura's face before she answered, "Why is it great?"

"Because Hinata and I are getting married!" He explained, throwing his hands up in the air excitedly.

This surprised Sakura, and she was suddenly in a much better mood. The smile that she pointed towards Naruto was a genuine one. Despite the fact that she hadn't been having a good morning, she couldn't help feeling happy for her best friend. He had been dating Hinata for only a year now, but he still loved her dearly.

"That's great, Naruto! I hope you both have a wonderful life together."

Naruto's grin grew wider. "We will! And once I become Hokage, I'll be the happiest person in the entire village of Konoha!"

Chuckling, Sakura shook her head. "I'm sure you will," She paused and looked down at her watch, eyes widening. "Sorry, I gotta go! I don't want to be late for work. Tsunade is very strict when it comes to truancy."

"Oh, okay. Well, maybe later we could go out for ramen? Hinata will be there of course."

"I'd like that. But you're treating!" With that last statement, she turned around and sprinted off in the direction of the hospital.

* * *

He sat there, his chin resting on his hands. Anger coursed through his body and a deadly aura surrounded him. If anyone had been in the room with him, they would have the right to be frightened.

So far, his morning had not been going well. Quite the opposite actually. He couldn't believe that his wife would dare defy him! She had no right, she was only a woman. A baby-maker!

He took a deep breath, shutting his eyes and rubbing the temples on his forehead.

All he had asked her to do was make him breakfast. That's what a good wife is supposed to do. Cook and clean and make sure that their husband is happy. But she had said no. She hadn't even thought it over!

After that, he smacked her. This had caused her to punch him in the stomach and kick him in the groin. Once that happened, an all out brawl ensued. In the end, nobody won, and she had left.

"No one should even think of defying Uchiha Sasuke! That woman is going to pay when she gets home." The man growled, slamming his fists on the table.

Ever since Sasuke had returned to Konoha four years ago, he had had anger problems. Instead of the stoic boy that he had once been, he was now a cruel man, not feeling any form of affection for his former teammates or sensei. Those bonds had been crushed during the time he had trained with Orochimaru.

Sasuke's thoughts drifted to the snake Sannin.

When he murdered Orochimaru, he knew that he was strong enough to kill his older brother and avenge his clan. The fight with Itachi had been extremely difficult, more difficult than he had anticipated. In the end however, it was Sasuke that emerged victorious.

He had been bloodied and beaten, unable to do anything for himself for a week. It was during that time that Naruto had found him and literally dragged him back to Konoha.

The memories of that time only filled Sasuke with more anger. He hadn't even planned on returning to Konoha, and being brought back to it by a loud-mouthed idiot had been a real blow to his ego.

Quickly shifting his mind back to his wife, Sasuke grimaced.

She had never been pleasant to be around. As a child, she was simply a fan-girl, a liability. But now that she was a woman, she had become much more independent. She did not have the feelings that she used to have for him, and that made Sasuke feel surprisingly frustrated. If she were still attracted to him, she wouldn't be so disagreeable.

Looking around the room, Sasuke saw broken glass littering the floor, courtesy of the fight that had occurred earlier that morning. Slowly getting up from the table, he walked over to the area that had the most glass and bent down. As he picked up a shattered piece, he muttered a name under his breath.

"Sakura..."

* * *

The moment Sakura stepped through the hospital doors, she knew it was going to be a busy day.

Nurses were scurrying about, talking in rushed voices. She could hear several doors being opened and shut. The hospital's receptionist, Fuuka, was typing furiously at the computer in front of her.

Feeling somewhat confused, Sakura decided to ask Fuuka what was going on.

"Fuuka-san, what's happening? The hospital is never this busy in the morning!"

The woman glanced up from the computer, her forehead wrinkling.

"There was an accident during a mission. A group of Jōnin were seriously injured."

"Who were the Jōnin in the group?"

"Hatake Kakashi, Yūhi Kurenai, and Hyūga Neji." Was Fuuka's blunt reply.

Sakura nodded her head in thanks and quickly made her way to the nearest elevator. All of the Jōnin in that group were very capable shinobi, so it was troubling to hear that they were all severely injured. She was especially worried for her former sensei, Kakashi.

When Sakura made it to the elevators, she quickly pressed the button on the wall and waited impatiently for the elevator doors to open. When they did, she hurried inside.

She figured that the group of Jōnin were on the third floor, which is where all the badly injured patients went. If they were there, she wanted to do all she could to help.

As the elevator 'dinged', signaling that she was on the third floor, Sakura fast-walked out of the elevator. A wave of strong smelling medication washed over her, and she wrinkled her nose. Orders could be heard from Tsunade, who sounded frustrated.

"No, Shizune! Go help Kurenai, we already have enough nurses working on Neji!"

Sakura watched as Shizune nodded her head and walked into a room that Sakura assumed was Kurenai's.

"Sakura, come here!"

Looking over at Tsunade, Sakura nodded her head and quickly made her way towards the blonde woman. She did not look pleased.

"You're late."

"I apologize, Tsunade-sama."

"Bah! Forget the apologies and make yourself useful! Kakashi is in that room over there." Tsunade said as she pointed a finger to the door that said 'Room 167'.

"Right!"

Worry flowed through Sakura's body. However, years of working in the hospital allowed her to stay calm and collected, keeping a clear mind. If you tried to heal someone when flustered, you could mess something up. Sakura had learned that early on in her training.

Putting her hand on the door-knob of Room 167, she twisted it, opening the door and stepping inside.

Three medical ninja surrounded Kakashi's body, all of their hands glowing a light blue color. From what Sakura could see, Kakashi was very battered up.

One of the med-nins looked at her.

"Hey, Sakura-san, don't just stand there! Come help us!"

Walking over to the hospital bed, Sakura examined Kakashi's injuries. They were pretty bad. Jagged cuts ran up and down his arms and legs. She could see bags under his eyes, which led her to believe he had probably used the sharingan. She also noticed a strange mark on his neck. It almost looked like he'd been branded...

Deciding to study the mark later, she set her hands on his chest, making them glow with healing chakra. She could already feel some of his injuries mending themselves back together.

The once white bed-sheets were now stained with blood. At one point in her life, the sight of blood would have made her feel nauseous, but she had become quite accustomed to seeing it. in her opinion, she was _too_ accustomed to seeing it.

Shifting her mind back to the task at hand, she noticed that the mark on Kakashi's neck was glowing. One of the other women in the room seemed to have noticed it too, because she was staring at it with a curious look on her face.

Just as Sakura was beginning to feel concerned, the mark stopped glowing.

_'That was strange...' _Sakura thought, quietly looking back down at the wound she was healing.

Only later would she realize that the mark on his neck was in the shape of the moon.

* * *

That's all for the first chapter! I'm aware that it's small, but it was just the prologue. I promise the chapters will get longer as I move along with the story.

And if any of you were wondering how old the members of team seven are, look below!

Sakura: 21

Sasuke: 20

Naruto: 20

Please review if you can! Tell me what you liked and what you didn't like! :)

-AverageApple


	2. Bad Omens

It's the second chapter of "From Hate to Love"! It's taken exactly one week to update. :)

Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto/Naruto Shippuden or the characters in it. However, the plot I have come up with is original, and is meant for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Bad Omens**

* * *

It had been a grueling day, having taken exactly fourteen hours to heal all three Jōnin. Sakura was downright exhausted and the other medical ninja were as well.

Fortunately, the Jōnin were recovering quite well now that their injuries were healed. Well, two of the three Jōnin that is. Kakashi still hadn't awakened, which concerned Sakura and Tsunade greatly.

The mark on his neck would glow ever so often, which both frightened and fascinated Sakura. Tsunade had already gotten Nara Shikamaru to study it, which he was doing currently.

While Kurenai and Neji had sustained major injuries, they had not recieved any odd marks like Kakashi had. All of the med-nins who had worked on the three Jōnin were very curious about this fact, Sakura included.

However curious she was, Sakura knew that she needed to go home and get some rest.

_'Home...' _Sakura thought, her mind drifting to a particular raven-haired man.

Because the day had been so hectic, the memory of her and her husband's squabble had completely exited her mind. Not to mention Naruto and Hinata's engagement had given her something else to think about. But now that she knew she had to return to him, anxiety and anger flowed through her.

While Sakura was thinking about this, someone tapped her on the shoulder. Her head turned around, looking at the person who had poked her. It was Shizune.

"Sakura-san, are you alright?"

"Oh, yes, I'm fine. Just a little tired is all."

Shizune smiled sympathetically. "You should go home and get some rest. We wouldn't want you passing out, would we?"

Feigning a laugh, Sakura replied, "Of course not, I'll be going now. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight." Shizune bowed slightly before walking away.

Sakura walked over to the elevator, her feet dragging along the ground. When she reached it, she pressed the down button and shuffled inside as the doors opened.

Upon reaching the lobby of the hospital, Sakura left the elevator. It was much calmer now than it had been this morning, that was for sure.

As she left the hospital, a cold wind swept past her, causing her to shiver. While it had been rather hot during the day, the temperature had dropped significantly now that it was nighttime.

The image of snuggling up in warm blankets made Sakura smile.

"Maybe I'll make myself some hot tea before I go to bed, that would be nice. Oh, and some soup! I haven't eaten anything all day." She mumbled to herself.

Inwardly, Sakura knew that she would have to confront her husband before she could even think of sleeping, but it was nice to pretend that he wouldn't be there.

_'Maybe he had a heart attack while I was gone?' _

With all these thoughts drifting around in her mind, Sakura didn't even realize that she had made it all the way back to her house. Her lips formed a frown.

Silently praying that her husband was already asleep, Sakura entered the house.

* * *

He heard the door open, followed by the sound of feet scuffling on the floor. Grimacing, Sasuke stood up and headed downstairs, ready to speak with his wife about this morning's incident.

_Creak..._

_Creak..._

_Creak..._

With every stair he went down, the creaks grew louder, taking away the element of surprise he had been hoping for. Sasuke knew that his wife was well aware of his presence, and was probably waiting warily for his appearance. He chuckled as he imaged her tense with fear.

As he was nearing the bottom of the staircase, he saw his wife enter the room, staring up at him with a weary look on her face. She was quite fatigued, he could tell.

"Sakura."

"Sasuke."

"You're home late."

"You're up late."

Lips twisting up in a crooked smirk, he replied, "I was waiting for you, _darling_."

"How very romantic of you," She said, voice laced with sarcasm.

Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, Sasuke strode down the rest of the steps and was soon standing right in front of her.

_SLAP!_

Sakura held her stinging cheek, glaring at him with all the force she could muster.

"Haven't we been through this already, Sasuke?" She half asked, half snarled.

"Aa."

_PUNCH!_

Sasuke had to hold back a grunt as Sakura's fist met his stomach.

"It appears that you would also like to reenact this morning's antics," Sasuke said through gritted teeth.

"Perhaps."

"You know that I'm stronger than you, so I wouldn't push your luck."

Sakura simply stared at him, an almost indifferent look on her face. Instead of answering, she quietly walked past him, her pink hair swishing as she walked.

"Coward," Sasuke grumbled under his breath.

"Monster."

When Sasuke turned around to shout a comeback, she was already gone.

Sasuke was not happy. As a matter of fact, he was furious. He was no monster! He was an Uchiha, an honorable shinobi. He avenged his clan and had even killed Orochimaru, one of Konoha's biggest traitors! Sakura clearly didn't know what she was talking about.

Sasuke heard a door slam upstairs.

_'Immature,' _Sasuke thought to himself, still staring at the empty staircase.

Why he had decided to marry her was beyond him. She was a mixture of so many terrible traits. She was infuriating, exasperating, irritating. He might even go so far as to say she was smug!

With a twitching eye, Sasuke walked into the house's large kitchen. A small bowl of tomato soup might do him some good, and it certainly wouldn't do him any harm!

"I can already taste the tomatoes."

* * *

The ceiling was not an interesting thing to stare at, Sakura concluded.

Unfortunately, insomnia had decided to plague her, so sleep was not an option.

Flipping onto her side, Sakura looked at the clock that sat on her bedside table. It was 11:52 PM.

A groan escaped her lips.

She was so tired, yet sleep refused to come! Not to mention how hungry she was. She hadn't eaten since yesterday's dinner and her stomach grumbled every few minutes to remind her of this fact.

_Gruuuuumble_

Yep, there it was. The stupid grumble...

Sakura rolled out of bed and her feet landed on the floor with a thump. She walked over to the window and opened it, sticking her head outside.

Looking up towards the sky, Sakura saw the lovely moon. It gave off a beautiful luminescent glow, which spread across Konoha. As pretty as Konoha was during the day, Sakura believed that it was truly stunning at night. Stars glimmered in the nighttime sky and everything was calm.

"Nothing could ruin this moment," _Gruuuuuuumble. _"I stand corrected."

Looking down at her stomach, Sakura made a face.

As hungry as she was, Sakura did not want to go downstairs for fear that Sasuke might still be there. As strong as the kunoichi was, she was still secretly terrified of the man, him and those glowing red eyes. If he was powerful enough to kill Itachi and Orochimaru both, what could he do to her? The question caused her to shiver, which she blamed on the breeze coming through the open window.

Closing it, she walked back over to her bed.

_Gruuuuuumble._

"I get it! I'm hungry! Please, just shut up." She moaned, feeling slightly pathetic for yelling at her own stomach.

_Gruuuuuumble._

Gritting her teeth, Sakura sat down on the bed and laid her head back onto the comfy pillows, shutting her eyes.

Flashes of the day passed through her mind. The argument, Naruto and Hinata's engagement, the Jōnin's accident, and the mark on Kakashi's neck.

Thinking back to the mark, Sakura remembered that it had a distinct shape to it. But what was the shape? It wasn't a triangle, nor was it circle. It was most definitely not a square. Maybe it was a star? She knew that it should have been something easy to remember, but her mind was drawing a blank.

Suddenly, she sat up in bed, eyes wide open.

"Moon," She whispered, looking over to the window. The moon was crescent shaped, just like the mark on Kakashi's neck. Surely there was no connection! It was just a coincidence that his mark was in the exact same shape as the moon.

Laying her head back down, she took a deep breath. Sakura figured that she was just being paranoid and that there was no way that there was even a slight correlation between the two things. Still, something in her gut told her she was absolutely right about her misgivings.

_"Sometimes you need to trust your gut instinct, Sakura." _Those words repeated themselves in her mind. She remembered that day well, as it was one of the first days of her training with Tsunade.

Suddenly feeling more exhausted than she had been before, Sakura squeezed her eyes shut, praying that sleep would come.

_Gruuuuuuuuumble._

* * *

Dark clouds covered the skies of Konohagakure. It was clear that rain would soon descend upon the village, showing no sign of yesterday's amazing weather.

However, the weather was of little concern to the village's Hokage.

"Did you get any information, Shikamaru?" Tsunade asked, eyeing the man curiously.

"I did, and the information I got what somewhat...troublesome."

"How so?"

Sitting down in a chair that was positioned in the corner of Tsunade's office, Shikamaru answered, "The mark seems to be harming Kakashi and I'm not sure if regular medical ninjutsu can heal it. Of course I'm no medical expert, so my conclusion on this matter could be false."

Taking a sip of her sake, Tsunade contemplated the situation. Shikamaru was right, the information was rather troublesome.

"Do you have any information on why the mark glows?"

"Yes. When it glows, it sends a shock wave through Kakashi's body. Unfortunately, that is the only data I have on the subject." Shikamaru replied.

"I see."

Frustration welled up in Tsunade. Kakashi was one of her strongest Jōnin, losing him to such a simple mark was intolerable. With any luck - luck that Tsunade did not posses - Kakashi would recover.

"I'm assuming he has not woken up yet."

"Your assumption is correct, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade sat there for a moment, looking at Shikamaru with an intense stare. He fidgeted, she scowled.

"How are Neji and Kurenai?" She asked, relieving the room of the awkward silence.

"Doing quite well. Shall we have them questioned about the events of the mission?"

"Yes, if they're ready."

He nodded in reply.

"Very well. You may go." She said, taking another sip of her sake.

Shikamaru got up from the chair he had been sitting in and moved toward the door. As he opened it, he said one last thing, "Oh yeah, I'm not sure if this actually means anything, but the mark is in the shape of a crescent moon."

When he left, Tsunade let out a weary sigh. The data she had received was not pleasant and she was feeling worn out. Not to mention she had finished her cup of sake. It was an unpleasant day indeed.

Rain began to fall from the clouds and lightning clashed in the sky.

Tsunade had the brief thought that the lightning storm was a bad omen. Perhaps something awful was in store for her and for Konoha?

"That's just silly!" She chided herself, quickly getting back to the piles of paperwork that needed to be done.

* * *

Sasuke glared at Sakura from across the table. She was eating cereal that had been poured into a small bowl, and the way her teeth crunched with every chew was beginning to grate on his nerves. He knew that she was doing it on purpose, he could tell just by looking at her eyes, which were glimmering with mischief.

While he would have loved to ask her - no, demand her - to stop, that would mean she had won. Sasuke despised losing, so he had to endure the obnoxious _crunch, crunch, crunch _of the cereal.

Glancing down at his own bowl of cereal, he noticed that the flakes were already getting soggy. He hated eating soggy cereal, but if he got up and threw it away, he just knew Sakura would make a comment. So he spooned it into his mouth, fighting back a gag as it slid down his throat.

He could have sworn he saw Sakura smirk.

"Well, I need to get going. I don't want to be late for work." She said, her chair sliding back with a loud _screeeeech _as she got up.

He simply grunted in reply, his eyes following her as she walked over to the sink. Turning on the faucet, she began to wash her bowl and spoon.

"Are you done yet?" Sasuke asked, wanting her to leave.

"Be patient, I need to get an umbrella. It's pouring outside." She replied.

"Hn."

He saw her roll her eyes before she left the kitchen. Trying not to roll his own eyes, Sasuke reached for his cup of tea. As he lifted it up to his lips, it spontaneously cracked.

"Bad omen." He said quietly, setting it back down on the table.

As he was studying the crack, Sakura walked back into the kitchen, holding an umbrella.

She raised an eyebrow before speaking to him, "What's so interesting about the cup?"

He didn't respond, but continued to stare at it.

Scoffing, Sakura shook her head and left without another word.

While Sasuke wasn't a firm believer of superstitions - he was actually a skeptic of them - his instincts told him that something was coming to Konoha, something bad.

Getting up from the table, he left the kitchen, the cup of tea still sitting there.

Outside the house, a black cat stalked by.

* * *

That's all for this week! I hope you enjoyed it.

It was supposed to be longer, but that's all I wanted to be in this chapter.

Please review if you can!

-AverageApple


	3. Information

A/N: It's the third chapter of From Hate to Love! I'm surprised that I even finished the chapter in time, I've been busy for the past week. Anyway, I'm going to answer some questions that have been asked of me.

**Question: **Why is Sakura married to Sasuke if she hates him?

**Answer:** Unfortunately, I cannot answer that question. There _is_ an answer, but if I told you, that would be giving it away. Don't worry, you'll find out eventually! :)

**Question: **Isn't Naruto and Sasuke older than Sakura?

**Answer: **Nope! Out of Team 7, Sakura is the oldest.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask! I'll do my best at answering them!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto/Naruto Shippuden or the characters in it. However, the plot I have come up with is original, and is meant for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Information**

* * *

Sakura walked into the hospital, glad to finally have shelter from the rain. Even with an umbrella, she had still managed to get rather damp. Shaking droplets of water out of her pink hair, she walked over to the hospital's receptionist.

The woman glanced up at her, eyebrows furrowing. "Good morning, Sakura-san. Tsunade-sama wanted me to tell you that Yūhi Kurenai and Hyūga Neji needs questioning."

"What about?"

Fuuka rolled her eyes before answering, "What do you think? The details of their mission, of course!"

Feeling a tad embarrassed, Sakura nodded her head, her cheeks tinted pink. "Right. I'm a little out of it today, so pardon my foolishness."

Fuuka looked back down at her computer, not bothering to say anything else.

Awkwardly walking away, Sakura headed towards the staircase. As she was making her way to the third floor, she remembered that she could have just taken the elevator.

"I really am tired today." She mumbled to herself.

The trip to the third floor was a fast one and Sakura automatically noticed the lack of nurses bustling about. It was certainly a change from yestereday's chaotic flurry of medical ninja. There were a couple of nurses walking by, though, and she called one of them to her.

"Do you know which rooms Hyūga Neji and Yūhi Kurenai are in?"

"Hyūga is in Room 162 and Yūhi is in Room 171. Yūhi's already being questioned by someone else, but Hyūga is free." The woman told her.

Nodding her head in thanks, Sakura made her way to Room 162. She put her hand on the doorknob, twisting it and opening the door.

Neji was covered in bandages and he looked to be asleep. His chest rose and fell in step with his breathing and his mouth was open slightly, creating an almost innocent look. Sakura felt her lips curve into a small smile.

As she took a few steps toward his bed, Neji's eyes fluttered open and he looked at her, his eyes milky white. A look of confusion flickered in his eyes before his mind registered what was going on. After that brief moment, a calm expression settled on his face and he sat up in bed.

"Sakura-san."

"Good morning. How are you feeling?" Sakura asked, watching as he closed his eyes, a sigh escaping his lips.

"As good as I can, being in this hospital."

Sakura nodded her head, walking over to his bed and grabbing a chair. She sat down before saying, "I have been asked by Tsunade-sama to question you about the mission. Are you ready?"

He grunted in reply.

"Then let's begin. I'll start with the obvious question; how did you all get so badly injured?"

"We were ambushed."

"How many people ambushed you?"

"Two."

"Only two? So you outnumbered them." Sakura stated, an eyebrow raised.

His lips twitched in irritation. "Please refrain from stating the obvious, Sakura-san, I am well aware of that fact."

Rolling her eyes, Sakura continued. "I'm guessing that it was shinobi that attacked you?"

"Yes. I'd say that they were A ranked, if not S ranked." Neji replied.

"So they were strong? What did they look like?"

He looked up at the cieling, a concentrated expression on his face. It took him a minute to answer the question, "The male of the group-"

"So there was only one male?"

"Yes," he shot her an annoyed look. "The male of the group was of average height, although quite muscular. If I'm remembering correctly, he had blonde hair."

"Eye color?"

"Red, I think. His bangs were covering his eyes for the most part."

"Do you have any guess as to how old he was?" Sakura asked.

"Twenty-five to thirty, I'm assuming."

Nodding her head, Sakura mentally jotted down all the information. She would have to write it down later.

"The female?"

"She was tall for a woman," Neji paused, an unidentifiable look on his face. "She was very...well endowed."

Trying to hold back a snort, Sakura smiled.

_'Neji always was rather awkward.' _She thought, amused by the embarrassed face he was making.

"I see. Anything else?"

"The woman had long hair, silver in color. Her eyes might have been blue, but she wasn't the person I was fighting, so I didn't pay too much attention to her."

"You didn't have any problem paying attention to her body." Sakura chirped, a grin on her face.

"This is no laughing matter, Uchiha!" Neji snapped.

Sakura felt a brief moment of shock. Despite that fact that she had been married to Sasuke for two years, she was still not used to the surname 'Uchiha'.

Quickly getting over it, Sakura apologized, "Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood."

He continued to glare at her.

"Moving on. Did you happen to catch their names?"

"Not the man's, but I think that he might have shouted the woman's name at some point. It could have been Tsuki, but I'm not positive."

"Was Kakashi fighting this woman?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, he was. Why does that matter?"

Excitement and dread bubbled up in Sakura's stomach. If she was right about what she was thinking, then she might be onto something.

"Was she the one that gave Kakashi the mark?"

"The one on his neck? Yes, I believe so."

Now Sakura was really excited. If the woman's name was actually Tsuki, it would make sense that she would give Kakashi a moon-shaped mark. Her name meant moon! While that didn't exactly help anything, she had still managed to put that together. Perhaps it would lead them to more clues?

* * *

Naruto was seated at his kitchen table, slurping up a large amount of ramen. Hinata was seated at the opposite end of the table, daintily poking at her own bowl of noodles. She glanced up at Naruto.

"Do you want to finish my ramen, Naruto-kun?"

His head swung upwards and he reached an arm out, picking up her bowl.

"Thanks, Hinata-chan! I'm still starving." He said, his mouth already full of noodles.

A smile adorned Hinata's face as she watched her fiancé eat his ramen none too gracefully. She could only imagine what it would be like when they actually got married. This thought only caused her smile to grow wider.

"Hey, Hinata-chan, what's with your face? I've never seen you smile so big before!"

"What about when you proposed to me? I was smiling then, wasn't I"

Naruto laughed before answering, "No you weren't! You were crying, remember?"

A blush coated the woman's cheeks and she giggled. "Right, I forgot about that. They were happy tears, though."

"Of course they were! You're going to be marrying the next Hokage of Konohagakure! Who wouldn't be happy about that?"

A smile still on her face, Hinata got up and walked over to Naruto, sitting on his lap. He looked at her, mischief dancing in his eyes.

"Once you're done eating, wanna do something fun?" Hinata asked.

"You're naughty today, Hinata-chan!" He said, a grin plastered on his fox-like face.

"Is that a yes?"

"Most definitly."

"Fantastic," Hinata said, clapping her hands together. "The house is a mess, I'm glad you're volunteering to help me clean it!"

A look of shock flashed across Naruto's face.

"Did you think I was talking about something else, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, sounding quite amused.

"Of course not, dear. I'd love to help you clean the house." He replied, shoulders sagging in defeat.

"You can start with the toilets then, they're filthy."

* * *

Sakura was heading up the stairs leading to Tsunade's office. She had gotten some good information from Neji and was hoping that it would be enough to appease the strict Hokage.

Sakura was rather surprised that the questioning hadn't been awkward. Ever since she had broken up with him, he had been rather snappy with her. Of course he had good reason to be; their relationship had been going quite well. That is, until Sasuke came back to Konoha. After that, things had gotten tense between the two of them. If only he knew why she had left him for the cold-hearted traitor...

Quickly shaking those thoughts out of her head, the pink haired woman contined down the hall, the door to Tsunade's office in sight. Once she reached it, she rapped on the smooth wood of the door.

"Come in."

Entering the room, Sakura saw Tsunade with her fingers pressed to the temples of her forehead, looking exausted. Her eyes were glassy and her lips were drawn into a grimace.

"Tsunade-sama."

"Skip the formalities, please, I have a headache an I'm not in the mood."

Bowing to her former Shisou, Sakura continued, "My apologies. I just came here from the hospital and have some information from Neji that could be helpful."

Tsunade gave her an encouraging nod, urging her to continue.

"Kakashi recieved the moon-shaped mark from a woman by the name of Tsuki. And because Tsuki means-"

Tsunade cut her off, "Moon. How does that help us?"

"Well, it doesn't help us directly, but it could lead us to some clues regarding how to remove the mark." Sakura explained, trying not to fidget under the harsh gaze of Tsunade, who was clearly hungover.

"I see. You could be right. Continue."

"I also got a description of the two shinobi that attacked them-"

She was cut off once more. "Two? But there were three of them, they should have had the advantage."

"The shinobi were apparently quite powerful. Neji guessed that they were A ranked, if not S ranked."

A sigh was the only answer Sakura recieved.

"The man was of average height, but had a muscular build. He had blonde hair and Neji thinks that he had red eyes, though he isn't positive."

"Mediocre description."

Sakura flinced. "The woman was tall and had a noticeably curvaceous figure. Her hair was long and was silver in color. Her eyes could have been blue, but again, Neji isn't positive."

"You'll never be an author, will you Sakura?" Despite her tone, Sakura knew that Tsunade was only teasing. She was probably just in a bad mood from an overdosage of alcohol.

"Probably not."

For a good portion of time, Sakura filled Tsunade in on the details. Tsunade listened thoughtfully, throwing in a comment occasionally.

Thunder and lightning roared outside the building.

* * *

This chapter was short! I'm still struggling with making the chapters longer, but don't worry, I'm working on it!

Please leave a review if you can! I'd love to see what you think so far. I especially love constructive criticism! :)

I'll update soon!

-AverageApple


	4. Team Seven

A/N: Hey all! It's the fourth chapter of From Hate to Love! Isn't that exciting? I'd like to thank all of you for your reviews, it means a lot that you take the time to tell me what you think.

**Question: **Sasu/Saku/Neji love triangle?

**Answer: **Heck no! Sakura is going to stay faithful to Sasuke, trust me. A love triangle never crossed my mind! Sorry if it seemed like there was going to be one. There's a whole other reason for Sakura's past relationship with Neji. It's a small reason, but a reason nonetheless.

On with the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto/Naruto Shippuden or the characters in it. However, the plot I have come up with is original, and is meant for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Team Seven**

* * *

Sasuke walked down a dirt road, umbrella in hand. Droplets of rain bounced off of the umbrella and would occasionally splash him in the face, much to his annoyance.

Several civilians walked by the man, sending him hateful looks. Even after four years the people didn't trust him. Sasuke ignored the glares for the most part, having got used to them. However, he would glare back occasionally, sharingan glowing in his eyes. The villagers would always speed away when he did that, which brought him a sick kind of amusement.

His mind kept drifting to the bad omen he had received that morning. It was just a cracked cup, but he knew that it had to mean something. Sasuke usually didn't worry about things like this, in fact, he never worried about things like this, so the fact that he was worried had to mean trouble.

As he was lost in thought, he didn't even realized the blur of orange and yellow bounding towards him. By the time he realized it, it was too late to escape.

A scowl made its way to his lips as he stared at the man in front of him.

"Sasuke-teme, I haven't seen you in ages! How have you been?"

Sasuke didn't answer, instead deciding to turn around and make his way down the busy road. The _parasite _followed close beside him, that ever-present grin on his face.

"Seriously, how have you been?"

"Go away, Naruto."

A laugh could be heard from the man before he replied, "Dude, you're cranky today! Are you on your time of the month?"

Sasuke's eye twitched, but he did not answer.

"Hinata gets pretty grumpy too when she's on her period."

The urge to choke Naruto was strong, but Sasuke just continued walking, the scowl still present on his face.

The rain seemed to have let up slightly, which seemed to be the only positive part of the day so far. A tiny amount of sunlight peeked through the clouds and the air seemed to have lost some of it's chill. The moment could have been perfect if it weren't for -

"Wanna get some ramen with me?"

Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke chose not to answer. Hopefully ignoring the idiot blonde would make him go away.

"I bet you're pretty hungry. Ramen could help."

No answer.

"Come on, man, we haven't gone to Ichiraku together in _years_!"

No answer.

"Please!"

Growl.

"Don't be that way! I know you want to."

No answer.

"Don't be stubborn!"

"I'm not going, Naruto." He finally said, irritation evident in his voice.

This seemed to upset the man, causing him to cross his arms over his chest in a child-like manner. Sasuke could already tell that Naruto wasn't going to give up just yet.

"Why not?" Naruto asked, sounding more like a little kid than a full grown man.

"I don't want to." Was Sasuke's blunt reply.

Just as Naruto looked like he was going to give up, Sakura rounded a corner, her eyes widening when she caught sight of them. Sasuke had to hold back a groan of frustration.

"Hey, Sakura-chan! Over here!" Naruto yelled, waving his hands in the air.

Sakura quickly made her way to them, a look of annoyance on her face. When she finally reached them, she hit Naruto on the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Why don't you have an umbrella? You could get sick!" She scolded, one hand on her hip.

"I'm not scared of rain! It's just water!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Water that could get you sick. Get under mine, we can share it."

Sasuke watched the scene with disinterest, a small yawn escaping his mouth.

When Naruto was positioned under Sakura's umbrella, a smile made it's way to her lips. "That's better. So, how're you?"

"Good! Hinata and I cleaned the house today, so I'm pretty beat." He replied.

As they were talking, Sasuke decided to leave the area while they were distracted. His plan failed, however, when Naruto grabbed his arm and yanked him back. He grit his teeth, his sharingan activated.

"Sakura-chan, can you convince Sasuke to come to ramen with me? You can come too if you want!"

Sakura looked at Sasuke, malice in her emerald eyes. Her originally happy smile turned sour and she narrowed her eyes. The look was gone quickly, though, and was replaced by a fake grin.

"Will you come to ramen with Naruto and I?" She asked, batting her eyelashes.

"No."

A smirk replaced her grin. "Fine. No sex for a month."

"Oh! Sakura-chan, you're taking out the big kunai! There's no way he can refuse!" Naruto cackled, clutching his stomach.

And Naruto was right. Without sex, there was no babies, and without babies, there was no Uchiha clan. Also, the sex was good, even if he didn't like Sakura.

"...Fine"

* * *

Sakura was wedged between Sasuke and Naruto. She had originally intended to sit beside just Naruto, but the blonde had insisted that she sit in the middle. So here she was, stuck between a hyperactive fox-man and a sullen Uchiha.

Naruto was blabbing about something that Sakura couldn't quite understand - his mouth was full of noodles. Sasuke was just sitting there, hunched over and glaring at nothing in particular. It reminded her of the old days, the difference being that Kakashi wasn't here.

The pink haired kunoichi jabbed at her noodles, trying to ignore the raven-haired man sitting beside her. He always managed to make her feel awkward when they were around other people, especially because she didn't want anyone to know about their relationship problems. Naruto specifically.

She looked at Naruto, who was almost done with his first bowl of ramen.

Naruto looked back at Sakura, a smile on his face. "It's just like the old days, huh? Everything was so simple when we were twelve."

"Yeah. Of course your love for ramen hasn't changed."

They both laughed, Sakura's laugh sounding a little more bitter than amused.

"And Sasuke's still a jerk." Naruto added, looking at Sasuke with a grin.

Sasuke didn't even glance over.

"And Kakashi's always late." Sakura finished.

"Speaking of Kakashi, where is he? Has he come back from that mission yet?"

Remembering that Naruto didn't know about the accident yet, Sakura decided to fill him in on the details. "There was a mishap during the mission. Kakashi, Kurenai, and Neji were ambushed and ended up at the hospital. He and the other jōnin are still there now."

Naruto's eyes were wide open and even Sasuke seemed vaguely interested.

"I'll have to go visit Kakashi tomorrow! He'll probably want to see me; I am his favorite student after all." Naruto said.

"You can't, unfortunately. He's in a critical condition right now. Only medical ninja are allowed to see him."

Naruto stuck his bottom lip out, pouting. Sasuke had lost all interest and continued his glaring contest with his ramen bowl.

A little while later, after Naruto's fourth bowl of ramen, he said that he had to go home to Hinata. Waving goodbye, he sprinted off in the direction of his house.

Now Sakura and Sasuke were alone, and the tension was tangible. While at home, Sakura could yell and scream at the man all she wanted, but now that she was out in the open, she was forced to hold her tongue. Sasuke seemed to feel the pressure of the situation too, because he had suddenly become stiff - more stiff than usual, that is.

Laying her money on the table, Sakura got up and grabbed her umbrella.

"Where are you going?" The question was silent, but Sakura heard it.

"Where do you think,_ dear_?" She paused, waiting for a response. When she didn't get one, she continued, "Home, Sasuke. Where else would I be going?"

He turned around and gave her an incredibly nasty look, eyes burning red. He was clearly in a worse mood than usual. Grabbing her arm, Sakura was pulled back down in her seat.

He put his head next to hers, whispering in her ear. "You're not leaving until I say so, understand?"

Ayame, the waitress of Ichiraku Ramen, mistook the scene as a romantic moment and stared at them with wide eyes. Suddenly fearing that the woman would find out was really going on, Sakura leaned forward and planted her lips on Sasuke's. Blushing, Ayame shuffled to a different part of the building.

Sakura quickly ended the kiss.

"What was that?" Sasuke seethed.

"A kiss, Sasuke. We kissed on our wedding day too."

Sakura waited for him to say something, but he just stared at her with an odd look on his face. The weird thing was, he didn't seem totally angry, just a tad irritated. He looked away from her, staring down at his half-eaten bowl of noodles.

"You can go now." He said.

Getting up once more, Sakura left the vicinity, utterly confused by the way he had acted. Kissing him had been risky, it could even be described as stupid, but she had come out undamaged.

A smug smile appeared on her face as she walked back to her house.

_'Victory!'_

* * *

Kakashi slept in the hospital bed, his entire body sore. He wasn't entirely sure what had happened, but he was positive that he wanted to wake up and leave. Now if he could only get his body to cooperate...

His eyes felt like they were glued shut, and every time he tried to move, his body would just stiffen up more. It was pure torture, and if Kakashi was being honest, a little frightening. He could hear everything that went on around him, nurses coming to check on him and see if he was awake. He wanted to tell them that he was awake and in dreadful pain, but no matter how hard he tried, nothing happened.

In that exact moment, a nurse walked in the room.

"Kakashi-san, are you awake?"

_'Yes!'_

Footsteps could be heard walking towards the bed and a hand was set on his chest.

"Still alive, has a healthy heartbeat. He's bound to wake up eventually." The nurse mumbled to herself. She did something else that Kakashi couldn't identify before she left the room.

Once again, the room was silent. His brain felt like it was pounding itself against his skull, because his forehead was throbbing.

He attempted to open his mouth. His attempt failed dismally, much to the copy nin's frustration.

Suddenly, pain shot through him. Horrible, horrible pain. Kakashi would have shouted had he been able to. Instead, his mind went blank, everything around him dissolving into nothing.

* * *

That's all! I actually liked this chapter, I hope that you all did too!

But if you didn't, why don't you drop me a review? I'm in dire need of some constructive criticism!

Adding Kakashi's POV was really weird. I mean, he is asleep at the moment, so I tried to make it seem like he was in a dream-like state. Tell me how I did! I'll give you a hug if you do. :)

Have a good day!

-AverageApple


	5. The Start of a Mission

A/N: Oh my goodness, it took me forever to get this chapter out! I'm so sorry for the long wait, but I was rather busy (total lie) and couldn't find the time (again, I'm lying) to type this up.

**Question:** How long have Sakura and Sasuke been married?

**Answer:** I believe the answer to this question is actually in chapter three. But if it isn't, they've been married for about two years.

Somebody mentioned that the pace of this story is slow. The reason for that is this fanfic is going to be kind of long, so the beginning isn't going to be very fast-paced. I know that's boring, but the action picks up a little in this chapter. Yay!

Thanks to all of you for your reviews! They mean a lot to me, and encourage me to keep writing. You're all awesome! :)

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Start of a Mission**

* * *

Sakura slipped out from under the covers, grabbing a robe and sliding it around her nude body. Sasuke watched her with lust-filled eyes, not saying a word as she prepared to head back to her own bedroom.

Their love-making usually ended like this: Sakura putting on some clothes and going back to her own bedroom to sleep while Sasuke observed her silently, not moving until the moment she left the room.

As Sakura was putting on her slippers, she heard a knock, quickly followed by a few more. After listening to a few more knocks, she realized that they were coming from the door in the kitchen downstairs. "Who in the world would come to our house in the middle of the night?"

"A man with a death wish," Sasuke grumbled, getting out of bed. "I'm going to tell them to go away." He made a move toward the door, not bothering to put any clothes on.

Sakura grabbed his arm. "You're naked."

"What's your point?"

"If you're going to answer the door, put some clothes on," she answered him, scowling.

Facial expression not changing, Sasuke turned around and stared at her. "You will not tell me what to do. If you don't want anybody to see me, then go answer the door yourself."

"It's not that hard to put a pair of boxers on," Sakura replied, arms across her chest. "But because it seems you can't perform such a simple task, I'd be happy to see who it is." Striding out of the room before Sasuke could reply, she shut the door behind her.

Turning down the hallway, Sakura began making her way down the stairs. The knocks were becoming louder, and she was skipping stairs in an attempt to go faster. Once at the bottom of the staircase, she quickly walked into the kitchen and ran to the door, grabbing the doorknob and yanking it open, all the while holding her robe closed.

Standing there was Genma. His hand was up in the air, ready to land another blow on the wooden door. Seeing that the door was open - and slightly surprised at seeing Sakura clad only in a robe and a pair of slippers - he put his hand down, relaxing his body and slouching in to a casual position.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura asked: "Can I help you?"

"I came to report a message from Tsunade-Sama," Genma said, his eyes sweeping down her body. "But it seems I've intruded on your-"

"What's the message?" She asked, cutting him off.

"You need to report to her office immediately. Naruto's already been informed, so he should be there waiting for you."

"I see. Anything else?"

"She also wants Sasuke to come. Other than that, though, I have no more information."

Sakura nodded her head, slightly confused with the situation. "Thank you for informing me, I'll make sure to leave as soon as possible."

Smiling, Genma turned around and lifted his arm up in a lazy wave, mumbling a quiet: "G'night."

Shutting the door, Sakura turned around. A yawn escaped her mouth and the temptation to ignore her orders and go to bed was very strong. Shaking the thought out of her mind, she walked out of the kitchen. As she began to walk back upstairs, she noticed Sasuke standing at the very top, actually wearing boxers.

"It was Genma. We're both supposed to report to Tsunade-sama's office right away." Sakura answered Sasuke's unasked question. He grunted, turning around and making his way back to the Master Bedroom. She sighed, moving back upstairs.

* * *

Tension filled the room as Tsunade eyed the three shinobi, all former members of Team 7. Naruto's face was the perfect picture of steely resolve; Sasuke's of mere disinterest. Sakura managed to keep a straight face, but her heart pounded with fear for Kakashi. The news Tsunade had given them was very distressing.

"Two weeks, granny Tsunade? Kakashi-sensei has two weeks?" Naruto asked, slowly, as if he wasn't positive.

"That's what I said."

"And we have to find the two people who gave him that mark and kill them in order for Kakashi to live?"

"Yes, Sakura."

Silence filled the room once more. Sasuke hadn't said a word since they had got there, and he couldn't have looked less interested. Sakura felt furious with him for his lack of concern.

"Are there any clues? Does anybody have any idea were they could be?" Naruto asked, his voice betraying his worry.

"Yes. There was a sighting near Suna of two shinobi that fit the descriptions Neji gave us. However, we're not completely positive that it's actually them," Tsunade replied. "If it's not them...well..." Her sentence was left hanging.

"It's them, it has to be them." Naruto said quickly, trying to convince himself.

Tsunade gave him a small smile. "Of course, Naruto." She then swept her gaze across the three of them. "I want you to leave as early as possible. No later than early tomorrow morning."

"Yes, ma'am. May I ask you a question, though?" Sakura asked. Tsunade nodded in approval. "Why are you sending us? Not that I don't want to save Kakashi, but I think it would be better to send tracker shinobi, like a Hyūga."

"I though it would be fitting that his only successful students would be the ones to save him."

Sakura smiled, despite the severity of the situation. She glanced at Naruto and saw that he was smiling as well.

"And we _will_ save him." Naruto announced, nodding his head in finality.

"I know you will, which is exactly why I'm sending you. Don't let Kakashi or me down. We're both counting on you!"With that said, Tsunade dismissed them.

* * *

Sasuke stared down at his bag, which was filled to the brim with the necessities required for the mission: Clothes, food and water, a toothbrush, and, of course, weapons. After he was satisfied with what he had packed, he zipped it up and pulled it onto his back.

During the four years he had been back at Konoha, Sasuke hadn't once been on a mission with Naruto, Sakura or Kakashi. He had made absolutely sure he was busy whenever they were assigned missions, as he didn't want to work with any them. That being said, he was feeling very frustrated with the current situation. He had to work with both Naruto and Sakura to save Kakashi, a person he didn't care for at all. Kakashi may have been his sensei once, but he hadn't taught him anything useful besides the chidori; he hadn't been a worthy sensei, which is why Sasuke had ditched him for someone more powerful.

Even so, Sasuke couldn't help remembering his first real mission with Team 7; namely, a mission that didn't involve walking dogs or finding cats. The man, Zabuza, who had seemed so deadly and frightening, had turned out to be someone kind in the end. And the boy, Haku, who was quiet and feminine but had been a very worthy opponent, had only wanted to please his master. Sasuke had been taken down and almost killed by the latter, and he remembered telling Naruto to never give up on his dream. When he woke up, he found himself below a crying Sakura, who had actually loved him at the time. Kakashi was injured, and Naruto had apparently defeated Haku.

A sigh blew past Sasuke's lips, and he was left feeling slightly nostalgic, which was a feeling that was very rare for him. After a few moments of daydreaming, Sasuke snapped out of it and inwardly scolded himself; things such as daydreaming were unnecessary for an Uchiha!

Shaking his head, Sasuke turned around and walked toward his door. He stopped when he heard someone call his name.

"Sasuke, are you ready to go?" Of course it was Sakura asking, no one else besides her was in the house.

"Hmph."

"Good, I'll be waiting outside for you." After she said that, he listened to her footsteps, noting that they grew softer as she continued down the hallway and walked down the stairs. Once he was positive she was outside of the house, he left his room.

* * *

Sakura and Sasuke walked side by side in silence, the only sound coming from them was the sound of their feet scuffing on the dirt path. The moon and the stars glimmered above them, creating a serene atmosphere. Sakura would have been in a great mood if it weren't for the fact that it was past midnight, Kakashi was in grave danger, and Sasuke was glowering beside her.

Having gotten used to Sasuke's near constant bad mood, Sakura was able to ignore him. The thing that was really bothering her was the thought that Kakashi might actually die. She had seen death countless times, but she had never experienced the death of someone truly close to her. She was trying to convince herself that they would save him in time, but she could still feel her heart pounding in fear, almost as if she knew (or at least thought she knew) that they were going to fail.

Lost in her thoughts, Sakura didn't notice that they were getting close to the gates of Konoha. When she finally did notice, she almost bumped into Sasuke's back, who had stopped and was standing rigidly still. Naruto was already there, and he bore a confident smile, although his eyes glittered with apprehension.

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, "Alright, now that we're all here, are you both ready to go?"

Sasuke just nodded his head, and Naruto's grin grew wider as his own head bobbed up and down in feigned excitement.

"Well, I guess we're all ready. Let's head out." Sakura replied, hoping that they didn't catch the small quaver in her voice. Unfortunately, both of them did.

Naruto, being the naturally kind man that he was, gave her a comforting smile. "It's gonna be alright, Sakura-chan. We're going to save Kakashi, I promise. And I always keep my promises!" He said, throwing a triumphant smile at Sasuke. Sasuke only rolled his eyes and turned his head away.

"Of course we'll save him, Naruto," Sakura said. And in a quieter voice added, "Thanks for saying that, I needed the reassurance."

Naruto winked at her and held up his hand, giving a thumbs up. She laughed slightly, amazed that he could act so silly in such a serious situation.

"Can we go now?" Sasuke asked, impatient.

They both looked over at the man, and nodded their heads in unison. As the three shinobi left Konoha, Sakura put on an assured face. With a resolute nod of the head, Sakura declared,_ 'We will save him!'_

* * *

That's all for this chapter! Again, I'm really sorry for not updating this sooner!

I had fun writing this, so please tell me what you think! Any and all reviews are welcome, even flamers can give their opinion if they want to. Their opinion is just as valid as everyone else's (although admittedly much more irritating).

I'll update as soon as I can, although when that will actually be is not yet decided. :P

-AverageApple


	6. Shichiyou

A/N: Hi there! I updated this a little faster than I thought I would, so cheers to me!

**Question:** Why isn't Sakura pregnant yet?

**Answer: **Some women have trouble conceiving children; Sakura is one of those women.

I've decided that I'm going to start doing mentions in the next couple of chapters, because if you took the time to tell me what you think, then you deserve some recognition! Thanks so much to all of you for your encouraging words and constructive criticism, it means a lot. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto/Naruto Shippuden or the characters in it. However, the plot I have come up with is original, and is meant for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Shichiyou**

* * *

Sunshine peeked through the treetops, causing speckles of light to scatter across the forest floor. Morning dew covered the blades of grass surrounding them and a gossamer mist floated harmlessly above the ground. The scenery was indeed lovely, causing Sakura to regret the fact that they had to rush past it at such a fast speed.

They had been traveling nonstop for almost seven hours, because Naruto refused to let them take any sort of break. While this normally wouldn't bother Sakura, she hadn't had any sleep for over twenty-four hours and was starting to get groggy from the lack of rest. The fact that she was also beginning to get hungry wasn't helping matters. Sakura was positive that Sasuke felt the same way, considering that he was always dreadful in the mornings, but he wasn't about to complain. He had no interest in speaking to either one of his teammates.

Naruto was a few paces ahead of the other two, and he showed no signs of being tired. He actually looked rather alert, despite the fact that it was barely 7:00am. It wasn't too surprising; he had been the exact same way five years ago when Gaara had been kidnapped by Akatsuki, an elite band or criminals. He had been so determined to save his friend that nothing had been able to stand in his way.

Fortunately, they had been able to save Gaara. He was still the Kazekage of Sunagakure now, and a well-respected one at that.

'_Suna…' _Sakura thought. They were heading toward Suna now. Tsunade's words from the night before trailed in the pinkette's mind.

_Sasuke and Sakura walked into Tsunade's office, only to see that Naruto was already there. Naruto turned around to look at them, a tired smile parting on his lips. Tsunade looked up from her desk and gave a slight nod in greeting, although her eyebrows were furrowed in what looked to be frustration. Sakura could tell from the aura of the room that something was wrong. _

"_Ah, you're both here. I suppose I should start then." Tsunade began, staring at them with a serious expression. "Well, as you've probably guessed, you're here to receive a mission," she said, waiting for them to nod their heads in verification before continuing. "It is a mission concerning Kakashi." _

_Sakura's heart leapt at that statement, her assumption that something was wrong now seemed all the more likely. _

"_It appears that the mark on his neck-"_

"_Mark? What mark?" Naruto blurted out. _

_Tsunade shot him a look. "It's a mark that he got while on his last mission. He obtained it while fighting a high-level shinobi. May I continue?" _

"_Yes."_

"_Thank you. As I was saying: The mark on his neck seems to be doing much more damage than we originally thought. Kakashi has been kept under constant surveillance since he was put in the hospital ten days ago. I've had other people study the mark, but I hadn't got good results, so I decided to go and look at it myself. Admittedly, it took me a little while to reach a satisfactory conclusion, but it turns out when the mark glows, it sends a shockwave through Kakashi's body – that's information that we already had. Something that I hadn't been aware of until recently was that the shockwaves are actually shutting down his body little-by-little."_

_Sakura held back a gasp, and Naruto was suddenly very wakeful. _

_Tsunade let them take in the information before she started again. "The mark - we'll call it the moon mark- is not unlike the curse mark," she explained, glancing at Sasuke. "It causes the victim pain and makes a connection between the victim of the mark and the giver and the mark."_

"_So, it's like Orochimaru and Sasuke?" Naruto asked. Sasuke grimaced slightly at his words, but didn't say anything. _

"_Precisely. The curse mark made it so Orochimaru and Sasuke were connected in a way, and the way to end that connection was to kill Orochimaru. The same goes for the moon mark. Unless we kill the person who gave him the mark, Kakashi is going to die."_

"_Die? How long does Kakashi have, Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked._

"_He has two weeks before the moon mark kills him."_

Sakura was snapped out of her musings when her stomach grumbled loudly. She glanced downward and sighed, reaching her hand back and sticking it into her backpack, rummaging around to see if she could find an energy pill. Once she felt the baggie that she had filled up with the pills, she grabbed one, withdrawing her hand from the backpack and popping it into her mouth. It wouldn't take away the hunger pangs, but it would at least keep her satisfied until Naruto decided to let them take a break.

Looking over at Sasuke, Sakura noticed his irritated expression. Of course this was normal for him; he either looked annoyed, angry, or bored. He, noticing someone was staring at him, turned around to look at her. They kept eye contact for only a couple of seconds before he curled his lip and turned his head back around. Narrowing her eyes, she turned her own head back to its original position, fighting back the juvenile temptation to roll her eyes.

Sakura's stomach grumbled once more, and she grimaced. Apparently it was louder than she thought, because Naruto's head quickly whipped around.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, do you want to take a breakfast break?" Naruto asked, no longer running.

"If you and Sasuke are hungry, then I suppose a break would be nice." She replied, a little embarrassed that she had been the cause of their abrupt stop.

"Now that you bring it up, I'm famished! What about you, Sasuke?"

Sasuke didn't bother answering, he instead slipped his backpack off of his shoulder and walked over to the nearest tree, sitting down at the trunk and grabbing some food.

"I'll take that as a yes. But we should be quick; we don't want to waste a lot of time." Naruto said, shifting through his bag.

"I don't think we have to worry too much about wasting time, Suna's only two and a half days away, and we still have about two weeks before..." Sakura replied, not finishing her sentence.

Naruto didn't seem to notice her blunt pause. "That's true. But the ninja that we're after could have left by now! Besides, granny Tsunade said they were _near _Suna, not actually _in_ Suna. They could be anywhere around the country."

"That's true. Good thinking, Naruto." Sakura said while nodding her head in agreement.

"You want to go sit with Mr. Grumpy-Pants? He looks lonesome." Naruto asked, sending an amused look toward Sasuke.

Sakura feigned a laugh, rubbing the back of her neck. "No, I think I'll sit with you. We all know how he is in the mornings!"

Laughing back, Naruto, along with Sakura, walked over to a tree several yards away from Sasuke, sitting down at the base of it. They ate their food in a comfortable silence, the silence only occasionally being broken by a comment thrown in by Naruto, and then followed by Sakura's reply.

Sakura, who was answering another one of Naruto's questions, went quiet when she felt the presence of strong chakra coming their way. Sasuke had looked up, apparently having noticed the chakra as well. Naruto, being the slowest one in the squad, widened his eyes when he, too, noticed the chakra.

"We need to get out of here; we don't have time for any sort of scuffle." Sakura said, quickly packing away her food.

"They might not be enemy shinobi, we're still in the Land of Fire, and so they could be allies." Naruto explained, packing away his food as well.

Sakura stood up, looking down at the blonde man. "While that may be true, we shouldn't be taking any chances. You said it yourself; we don't want to waste too much time."

Naruto simply nodded his head before getting up, rubbing the dirt from the back of his pants. Sasuke had remained sitting, watching them with a strange look on his face. When Sakura noticed this, she went to say something, only to be interrupted by a flash of gray around them.

Six shinobi surrounded them, all wearing the same dark gray garbs, which covered them from head to toe. Sakura and Naruto immediately withdrew their kunai, not saying a word.

"You are Konoha shinobi." One of them stated in a monotone voice.

"What's it to you?" Naruto asked brusquely, scowling at the man.

Sakura sent Naruto a pointed look, forcing a polite smile as she turned her head back around to look at the man who had spoken to them. "I'm sorry for his rudeness, sir, we don't want any trouble."

The man, and the rest of his group, remained silent, staring at them with an eerie calmness.

Sakura began pumping chakra into her fist, just in case one of them decided to attack; Naruto had already positioned himself into a battle stance.

"We have to kill you by order of our leader, prepare yourselves." With that, all six of the enemy ninja sprang into action. Sakura leapt backwards as one of the shinobi kicked at her, she flicked her wrist and managed to get a cut across his chest with her kunai. Two more of the men ran at her, and the man she had just slashed sent a fist flying toward her. Mind sharp, she managed to dodge all three advancements and weave her way through the flurry of attacks, rushing to a more open area.

Having just enough time to spare a glance in Naruto's direction, Sakura was thankful to see that he was doing all right. Unfortunately, she didn't have much more time to examine the situation as her own attackers had descended upon her. Gritting her teeth, Sakura tried to land a blow on the largest man's chest, but he was swift and easily dodged. Luckily, Sakura was also quite fast, and she managed to avoid his own punch.

'_This is a close range battle, I should stick to taijutsu,' _Sakura thought, almost absently, as she continued to twist her lithe body away from the attacks. Catching an opening, she took her chakra-pumped fist and threw it forward, managing to punch one of them in the gut. He flew backwards and hit a tree, while his teammates remained only momentarily surprised at Sakura's brute strength.

Suddenly, Sakura felt the skin on her thigh rip open, and she let out a hiss of pain. She looked down to see a shuriken wedged in it. The man who she'd punched earlier had stood up, apparently having recovered from Sakura's attack; he was the one who threw the shuriken.

'_If he was strong enough to recover from an attack like that, then he's clearly rather powerful.' _Was Sakura's only thought before she managed to punch another one of her enemies across the clearing. However, she was knocked down by the third shinobi in the process, and she barely managed to roll away from his large foot before he stomped down, his foot creating a semi-large fissure in the ground. She spun around, sweeping her feet across his legs, which sent him flying toward the ground. She quickly scrambled on top of him, taking her kunai and holding it to his throat.

The man's brown eyes were wide, and his face, or at least what little Sakura could see of it, had paled considerably. His emotionless façade had been broken. Sakura gave him a stern look, straddling his hips while keeping him pinned to the ground. "Who are you?"

"I'm...a minion." His voice came out shaky, and he kept glancing at the kunai held at his throat.

"You're a minion?" Sakura looked at him with an incredulous expression. "Who's your leader?"

"That's classified informatio…" He wasn't able to finish his sentence as Sakura had lowered the kunai, creating a tiny slit across his throat.

"If you value your life, you will tell me who you work for."

"Shichiyou." He answered, gulping. Sakura nodded her head, slowly, tightening her grasp around the handle of her weapon as she prepared to kill him.

Sakura felt an explosion of pain across her face, and she slid across the dirty ground. One of the other shinobi had apparently noticed their comrade's predicament and had come to save him. However, when she looked up, she saw one of the gray-clothed men standing above the man she had been just about to kill, his foot on his neck. She heard him mutter "Useless," before he brought his foot down, crushing the man's neck and instantly killing him.

Sakura took this chance to stand up; she could feel that her nose was broken. The man who had just killed his teammate was staring at her, unmoving. He didn't appear like he was going to attack her, so she decided to scan her surroundings. Naruto had killed one of the three shinobi that he was fighting, and another one looked pretty much defeated. One of the men she had punched earlier was lying prostrate on the ground, either unconscious or dead, she couldn't tell. The last thing she noticed was Sasuke, who was still sitting idly by the tree, his face devoid of emotion. Sakura was unable to do anything concerning Sasuke, however, because she noticed a quick flicker of chakra, and had to defend herself from the man who was now standing right in front of her.

Sakura shot her arm out, grabbing his fist before he could strike her. The man, short in stature, opened his mouth to speak, "This battle is becoming tedious, whether you like it or not, you're going to die. Why not just surrender?"

Sakura didn't reply. She just stood there, his clenched fist still held securely in her hand. The man shot his other arm out, attempting to stab her with a dagger of some sort. Having seen that attack coming, Sakura grabbed his wrist and twisted it, breaking a bone. He let out a howl of pain, attempting to rip his arm away from Sakura's tight grasp.

"You shouldn't have gotten so arrogant. Now, would you like to give me some information on 'Shichiyou'?" Sakura asked, not loosening her grip.

"No. Unlike my coward of a teammate," he began, signaling his head toward the man he had only just killed, "I will not betray my leader."

Despite the fact that Sakura was facing against this man, she couldn't help but feel a shimmer of admiration for his loyalty. Even so, she knew that she had to kill him. Releasing the man from her strong hold, Sakura stabbed the man through his chest as fast as she could, watching as he dropped lifeless to the ground.

Sakura looked up when she heard a shriek of pain echo across the forest; Naruto had killed his last opponent with the Rasengan. She let out a sigh of relief, glad that the battle was done. Granted, her nose was broken and her thigh was bleeding, but she was still glad.

Sakura began making her way over to Naruto, as it was a medical ninja's priority to make sure her teammate's injuries were healed before her own were. Once she had reached him, Sakura made a quick checkup of his body, noting that he had no major injuries. "Does anything hurt, Naruto?"

"Nothing hurts too badly, although one of the jerks I was fighting did manage to get a pretty decent gash above my knee," He answered. "What happened to your face?"

Sakura held herself back from hitting Naruto, glaring at him. "Thanks for sugar-coating the question, Naruto, it means a lot."

"No problem, Sakura-chan!"

"I was being…never mind. Anyway, one of the shinobi punched me in the face, so my nose is broken."

"It looks painful, you should heal that!"

"I'll heal your knee first." She replied, bending down and placing a hand on Naruto's leg, pouring healing chakra into the wound. After his cut was healed, she began working on the gash in her thigh. Her thigh was soon healed, and she stood up, gingerly placing the tips of her fingers on her nose. Taking a deep breath, she snapped the bone in her nose back into place, wincing in pain.

"Ouch…" She mumbled as her chakra began mending the bones in her nose back together.

"Hey, teme, what are you doing over there?" Naruto called out, only just noticing Sasuke.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke, her hand still on her nose, and waited for his response. Naturally, he didn't bother giving one. For some reason, this infuriated Sakura. It shouldn't have, in hindsight, given the fact that he usually didn't bother answering anybody. Perhaps it was the fact that Sakura was sore, maybe it was because she was tired. Either way, the pink-haired kunoichi found her anger steadily growing.

"Were you sitting there the entire time?" Naruto asked, his head tilted to the side.

Again, Sasuke remained silent, only giving a slight dip of his head in response to Naruto's question.

"Why? The battle would have been faster if you'd been helping us!" At this point, even the normally cheerful Naruto was irked.

Sasuke shrugged, and Sakura could have sworn she saw him smirk.

Naruto frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "Whatever, we don't have time to argue. Get up, we need to get going."

"Hmph." Sasuke stood up, situating his backpack and opening his mouth in a small yawn. The yawn was the last straw for Sakura.

So, in a moment of irrationality, she took her kunai and threw it at Sasuke.

* * *

That's all for now! I'm aware that the ending was kind of abrupt, but if I had gone any farther, I'd just be writing pointless, irrelevant information.

I would like to apologize for the awful quality of this chapter, I know it was terrible. That fight scene (if I can even call it that) was a pain in the butt to write, and even after I proofread it several times, I couldn't seem to make it any better. Violence is definitely not my forte... That being said, any critique/ideas on how I can improve my violence writing skills would be_ MUCH_ appreciated.

And for any of you that were upset about the lack of Sasuke's POV, his POV wasn't needed for this chapter. I promise that there'll be more of him in the next chapter.

Despite how bad this chapter was, I hope that you'll still review and tell me what you think. I'm prepared for flames if I get them.

Until next time~

-AverageApple


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